Nsanja ya Mlonda ya January 1, 1918, inayamba na funso lakuti: “Kodi n’ciani cidzacitika caka cino ca 1918?” Pa nthawiyo, Nkhondo Yoyamba ya Dziko Lonse inali ikali mkati ku Europe. Koma zimene zinacitika kuciyambi kwa cakaco, zinaonetsa kuti zinthu zidzayenda bwino kwa Ophunzila Baibo, komanso kwa anthu pa dziko lonse.

Pa January 8, 1918, Pulezidenti Woodrow Wilson wa ku America, pokamba ku Nyumba ya Malamulo ya m’dzikolo, anafotokoza mfundo 14 zimene anaona kuti zikanathandiza anthu kukhazikitsa “mtendele wokomela aliyense komanso wokhalitsa.” Iye anakamba kuti maiko anayenela kukambilana moona mtima za kukhazitsa mtendele, kucepetsa zida za nkhondo, komanso kukhazikitsa “bungwe la maiko onse,” limene lidzathandiza “maiko olemela ndi osauka omwe.” “Mfundo 14” zimenezo n’zimene zinakhala maziko okhazikitsila bungwe la League of Nations. Komanso, n’zimene anakambilana pocita Pangano la ku Versailles. Umu ni mmene Nkhondo Yoyamba ya Dziko Lonse inathela.

Mosasamala kanthu za mavuto amene anacitika pakati pa Ophunzila Baibo mu 1917, * zimene zinacitika mu 1918 pa miting’i ya pa caka ya Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, zinaonetsa kuti zinthu zidzayambanso kuyenda bwino pakati pawo.

Pa miting’i imeneyo, imene inacitika pa January 5, 1918, amuna angapo amene anali atacotsedwa pa Beteli, anayesa kulanda udindo wotsogolela gulu la Mulungu. Richard H. Barber, m’bale wokhulupilika amene anali woyang’anila woyendela, anatsegula miting’iyo na pemphelo. Poyamba, iye anapeleka lipoti la mmene nchito ya utumiki inayendela mu 1917. Pambuyo pake, abale anacita mavoti kuti asankhe madailekita a Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. M’bale Barber anasankha m’bale Joseph Rutherford na abale ena 6 kuti ndiwo angakhale madailekita. Ndiyeno, loya amene anali ku mbali ya abale otsutsa anasankha abale ena 7, kuphatikizapo abale amene anali atacotsedwa pa Beteli. Koma otsutsawo anagonjetsedwa. Abale ambili amene anapezeka pa miting’iyo, anavotela M’bale Rutherford na abale 6 okhulupilika aja kuti akhale madailekita.

Abale ambili amene analipo anakamba kuti “miting’iyo inali yapadela kwambili kuposa ina iliwonse imene anapezekapo.” Koma cimwemwe cawo sicinakhalitse.

Kwa miyezi ingapo, Ophunzila Baibo anali kugaŵila buku lakuti The Finished Mystery. Anthu oona mtima anali kulabadila coonadi akaŵelenga bukulo.

Mwacitsanzo, woyang’anila dela wina ku Canada, dzina lake E. F. Crist, anakamba kuti mwamuna wina na mkazi wake ataŵelenga bukulo, anamvela coonadi na kucikhulupilila m’mawiki asanu cabe! M’baleyo anati: “Tsopano onse aŵili anadzipatulila, ndipo akupita patsogolo mocititsa cidwi.”

Mwamuna wina atangopeza bukuli, analiŵelenga na kuyamba kuuzako anzake zimene anaŵelengazo. Uthenga wa m’bukulo unamukhudza mtima kwambili. Iye anati: “Pamene n’nali kuyenda mu msewu, n’natemewa pa phewa na cinthu cinacake. N’naganiza kuti ni njerwa. Koma siinali njerwa. Linali buku lakuti, ‘The Finished Mystery.’ N’nalitenga noyenda nalo ku nyumba, ndipo n’naliŵelenga lonse. . . . N’namvela kuti mlaliki  winawake . . . ndiye anaponya bukulo panja cifukwa cokwiya. . . Nikhulupilila kuti zimene mlalikiyo anacita pa nthawi imeneyi, zapangitsa anthu ambili kukhala na ciyembekezo ceni-ceni, kuposa zina zonse zimene anacitapo mu umoyo wake. . . . Cifukwa ca mkwiyo wa mlaliki ameneyo, ise tsopano tikutamanda Mulungu.”

Zimene mlalikiyo anacita sizinali zacilendo. Mwacitsanzo, pa February 12, 1918, akulu-akulu a boma la Canada analetsa kufalitsa buku lakuti The Finished Mystery. Iwo anakamba kuti m’bukulo munali mfundo zoletsa nkhondo, komanso zolimbikitsa kuukila boma. Patapita nthawi yocepa, nawonso akulu-akulu a boma la America anacita cimodzimodzi. Anatuma anthu kuti akafufuze zinthu ku Nyumba ya Beteli, komanso ku maofesi athu a ku New York, ku Pennsylvania, na ku California. Iwo anali kusakila umboni wotsutsana ndi abale amene anali kutsogolela gulu pa nthawiyo. Pa March 14, 1918, Dipatimenti ya zacilungamo ku America inaletsa kufalitsa bukuli. Iwo anakamba kuti kupulinta bukuli na kulifalitsa n’kusokoneza zoyesayesa zawo pa nkhondo, komanso n’kuphwanya lamulo la boma.

Pa May 7, 1918, Dipatimenti ya zacilungamo inapempha cilolezo cakuti imange abale awa: Giovanni DeCecca, George Fisher, Alexander Macmillan, Robert Martin, Frederick Robison, Joseph Rutherford, William Van Amburgh, ndi Clayton Woodworth. Anali kuwaimba mlandu wophwanya malamulo mwadala mwa “kulimbikitsa anthu kusamvela boma, kukhala osakhulupilika, komanso kukana kuloŵa m’gulu la asilikali a pa mtunda ndi a pa nyanja a dziko la America.” Iwo anayamba kuzengedwa mlandu ku khoti pa June 3, 1918. Koma zinali zoonekelatu kuti adzawaweluza kuti ni olakwa. Cifukwa ciani?

Abalewo anali kuimbidwa mlandu wakuti anaphwanya lamulo la boma loletsa kucita ukazitape. Loya woimila boma la America anakamba kuti lamulo limenelo “ni cida camphamvu coletsela anthu kufalitsa mfundo zimene zingapotoze maganizo a anthu.” Pa May 16, 1918, Nyumba ya Malamulo ku America inakana kusinthako pang’ono lamulo limenelo. Kusintha kumeneko kukanateteza anthu amene amafalitsa “nkhani zoona, ali na zolinga zabwino.” Pa makambilano awo, mamembala a Nyumba ya Malamuloyo, anakambapo kwambili za buku limeneli lakuti The Finished Mystery. Pokamba za bukuli, cikalata cina ca Nyumba ya Malamuloyo cinati: “Zina mwa mfundo zolakwika kwambili zimene zikupotoza maganizo a anthu zili m’buku lakuti ‘The Finished Mystery’ . . . Mfundo za m’buku limeneli zingapangitse asilikali kukayikila zocita za boma. Komanso zingacititse anthu kuyamba kukana kulembedwa usilikali.”

Pa June 20, 1918, khoti linapeza kuti abale 8 aja ni olakwa pa milandu yonse imene anali kuwazenga. Tsiku lotsatila, woweluza anapeleka cigamulo. Iye anati: “Mfundo zolakwika zacipembedzo zimene anthu awa akhala akufalitsa kwambili . . . ni zoopsa ngako kuposa gulu la asilikali a Germany. . . . Afunika kupatsiwa cilango cokhwima.” Patapita mawiki aŵili, abale 8 amenewo anaponyedwa m’ndende yochedwa Federal Penitentiary ku Atlanta, m’cigawo ca Georgia. Anaweluzidwa kuti akhale m’ndende kwa zaka za pakati pa 10 mpaka 20.

M’zaka zimenezo, Ophunzila Baibo anakumana na citsutso coopsa. Bungwe lofufuza milandu lochedwa  FBI, linafufuza mosamala kwambili zokhudza nchito ya Ophunzila Baibo, ndipo linatulutsa makalata ambili-mbili a malipoti. Makalata amenewo ni umboni wakuti abale athu anali kulalikilabe molimba mtima.

Woyang’anila positi ofesi m’tauni ya Orlando, ku Florida analembela kalata bungwe la FBI. M’kalatayo, iye anati: “[Ophunzila Baibo] amalalikila nyumba na nyumba m’tauni yathu, ndipo nthawi zambili amacita zimenezo usiku. . . . Iwo afuna kukolezela moto mwa kupitiliza kugwila nchito yolalikila.”

Komanso, mkulu wina wa asilikali m’Dipatimenti ya Zankhondo, analembela bungwelo kalata yofotokoza za m’bale Frederick W. Franz, amene pambuyo pake anadzatumikila m’Bungwe Lolamulila. Msilikaliyo anati: “F. W. Franz . . . wakhala akugulitsa mabuku masauzande ambili-mbili ochedwa ‘The Finished Mystery’.”

M’bale Charles Fekel, amenenso anadzatumikilako m’Bungwe Lolamulila, anakumana na cizunzo coopsa. Apolisi anam’manga cifukwa cofalitsa buku lakuti The Finished Mystery, ndipo apolisiwo anali kuŵelenga makalata onse amene anthu anali kum’tumizila. Anaikidwa m’ndende ya m’tauni ya Baltimore, ku Maryland, ndipo anakhalamo kwa mwezi umodzi. Anali kumunena kuti ni “Mdani wa ku Austria.” Pamene anali kucitila umboni molimba mtima kwa apolisi amene anali kumufunsa mafunso, iye anagwila mau a Paulo a pa 1 Akorinto 9:16, akuti: “Tsoka kwa ine ngati sindilengeza uthenga wabwino!” *

Kuwonjezela pa kulalikila mwakhama, Ophunzila Baibo anayesetsa kupempha anthu kusaina maina awo pa makalata opempha boma kuti litulutse abale m’ndende ya ku Atlanta. Mlongo Anna K. Gardner anati: “Sitinali kungokhala cete iyai. Pamene abale anali m’ndende, tinayamba kupempha anthu kusaina maina awo pa makalata opempha kuti awatulutse. Tinali kuyenda ku nyumba na nyumba. Anthu masauzande ambili anasaina! Tinali kuwauza kuti anthu amene anaikiwa m’ndende ni Akhristu oona, ndipo anaikiwa m’ndende cifukwa sanaweluzidwe mwacilungamo.”

Pa nthawi yovuta imeneyi, misonkhano yacigawo inali kucitika kaŵili-kaŵili n’colinga cakuti abale alimbikitsidwe mwauzimu. Nsanja ya Mlonda ina inati: “Misonkhano yacigawo yoposa 40 . . . yakhala ikucitika caka ciliconse . . . Takhala tikulandila malipoti ambili olimbikitsa kucokela ku misonkhano imeneyi. Kale, misonkhano yonse yacigawo inali kucitika cabe kumapeto kwa caka, koma manje imacitika mwezi uliwonse.”

Anthu oona mtima anapitiliza kulabadila uthenga wabwino. Mwacitsanzo, pa msonkhano wacigawo umene unacitika mu mzinda wa Cleveland, ku Ohio, anthu 1,200 anapezekapo. Anthu 42 anabatizika pa msonkhanowo, kuphatikizapo mnyamata wamng’ono amene anali “wokonda Mulungu komanso wodziŵa kufunika kodzipatulila, cakuti acikulile opanda cikhulupililo akanacita manyazi akanamuona akubatizika.”

Pamene caka ca 1918 cinali kutha, Ophunzila Baibo sanali kudziŵa kuti zinthu zidzawayendela bwanji m’tsogolo. Nyumba zina za Beteli ku Brooklyn zinagulitsidwa, ndipo likulu linasamutsidwila ku mzinda wa Pittsburgh, ku Pennsylvania. Pamene abale otsogolela gulu anali m’ndende, panapangiwa makonzedwe ocita miting’i ina ya Watchtower Society pa January 4, 1919. Kodi n’ciani cinatsatilapo?

Abale athu anapitilizabe kugwila nchito yolalikila. Iwo anali na cikhulupililo cakuti zinthu zidzakhala bwino, moti lemba la caka ca 1919 limene anasankha, linali lakuti: “Cida ciliconse cimene cidzapangidwe kuti cikuvulaze sicidzapambana.” (Isaiah 54:17) Iwo anali atakonzekela kaamba ka kusintha kwakukulu kumene kunatsala pang’ono kucitika. Kusintha kumeneko kunalimbitsa cikhulupililo cawo, komanso kunawakonzekeletsa kugwila nchito yaikulu ya m’tsogolo.